Why video games may be good for you ~ “Game research has tended to get sucked down into a black hole of people yelling at each other, saying either games are good or games are bad,” says Gentile, who studies the effects of video games on physiology and behaviour. “I think we are starting to move beyond this inappropriately simplistic idea to see games can be powerful teachers that we can harness.” via BBC Future, published August 26, 2013.

Debunking the Genius Myth ~ Unlike sports or music, where students can see others practicing, much of schoolwork practice happens at home, builds slowly over time, and goes unseen. “You don’t see the work others are doing, so it looks like it never happened.” via MindShift, published August 30, 2013.

Cognitive Science Meets Pre-Algebra ~ Interleaving has become an especially hot area of interest among researchers. It mixes distinct but related problems or ideas — long division, say, and multiplying fractions — in daily homework assignments. A growing number of cognitive scientists now believe that this cocktail-shaker approach could improve students’ comprehension of a wide array of scientific concepts, whether chemical bonds, parallel evolution, the properties of elementary particles or pre-algebra. via New York Times, published September 2, 2013

Is School Enough? Documentary Film Delves In ~ “Connected learning suggests that there should be a learning ecology, and that what we do outside of school should be connected in very strong ways to what we do inside of school,” said Jenkins. “School has to respond to the informal learning that’s taking place at home and in the community.” via MindShift, published September 3, 2013.

Abraham Maslow and the pyramid that beguiled business ~ “He really was ground-breaking in his thinking,” Lachman says. “He was saying that you weren’t acting on the basis of these uncontrollable, unconscious desires. Your behaviour was not just influenced by external rewards and reinforcement, but there were these internal needs and motivations.” via BBC, published August 31, 2013.

Why Kitchens are Better Than Conference Rooms ~ Just this morning, I was reminded how food has the power to bring people together. As I sat down to write this post, a delicious aroma came wafting through the studio. I closed my laptop to investigate. Nearing the kitchen, I saw a large group gathered around a simmering pot of homemade soup. Everyone had the same instinct I did—taking a much-needed break to joke around and get reenergized. After a few minutes, the group broke up and returned to work, creative juices flowing, excited for the meal we would soon enjoy together. via Tim Brown on LinkedIn, published September 3, 2013.

Design Your Class Like A Video Game ~ While there is no single way “school is,” there are general patterns that reward compliance, thoroughness and punctuality while stifling learner-centeredness, abstraction, and play. What would happen if a student was required to unlock the next assignment in a project-based learning environment? via Teach Thought, published September 4, 2013.

Study: To The Human Brain, Me Is We ~ A new study from University of Virginia researchers supports a finding that’s been gaining science-fueled momentum in recent years: the human brain is wired to connect with others so strongly that it experiences what they experience as if it’s happening to us. via Forbes, published August 22, 2013.

Graphic Design Tool Offers Skills To The Masses ~ Canva is a new online tool that aims to lower the barrier of entry to graphic design, allowing anyone (from professional designers to novices) to design projects including business cards, presentations, blog graphics and posters, with an easy-to-use interface and a vast library of fonts and images. The tool is not intended to replace designers, or professional design software such as Adobe Creative Suite. Rather, the platform allows users who don’t have the resources or sufficient need to purchase design software, to create more sophisticated designs than they would otherwise be able to. via PSFK, published September 2, 2013.

Grown-Up Tinker Toys Let You Build Your Own Everything ~ Turning his back on the IKEA model, designer David Graas invented a building kit called “Everything But the Manual.” It is, in essence, Tinker Toys for adults. It isn’t just for fun, though – this set is meant to build furniture, creative accents, and anything you can imagine. It consists of 260 oak sticks, each 415 mm long and 26 mm square, full of evenly-spaced holes. via Dornob Design, published September 3, 2013.